


Still Into You

by Ellectrix



Series: Ever Since We Were Kids [4]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Commitment, Committed Relationship, Declarations Of Love, Devotion, Established Relationship, Fluff, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Relationship Problems, Romance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-15 19:23:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16069676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellectrix/pseuds/Ellectrix
Summary: Graduation day came and went and the group of friends had been separated by the natural tides of life. This includes two specific high school sweethearts.Dave and Karkat try to make a long distance relationship work and unsurprisingly run into some problems.Thank god Rose is there to help these two idiots.((Loosely inspired by the song "Still Into You" by Paramore.))





	Still Into You

The ceremony had been stifling under the heat of the sun. The crowds and heavy blue attire didn’t help much with it at all. But it was all worth it. Everything was coming to an end, after all, this would be one of the last times they see each other.

After receiving their diplomas, the whole group of them had gathered around and spent every last moment with one another. They had laughed and teased one another about how the graduation gowns looked stupid on them and taken multitudes of pictures together. Dave and John went around photobombing every photo they could and just being generally obnoxious to everyone’s dismay. Eridan is still a stuck up bitch, but it seems like Dirk has been a really good influence on him lately. Vriska and Terezi were still causing a ruckus and giving everyone headaches, like standing up on the stage after the event to shout stupid shit into the microphone. Nepeta and Equius were nominated as best friendship of year while Aradia and Sollux were nominated as best couple of the year. Of course, they would be. They’ve been together for a lot longer than any relationship in their group. Feferi and Jade had recently become girlfriends and the glasses girl and dark-haired teen had made up about the events almost two years ago now. Roxy and Jane were the two sweetest girls all around, offering hugs to everyone and being generally sentimental about the whole thing. Rose and Kanaya had splintered off from the group, something which they all understood as Kanaya would be moving to Europe to pursue her fashion at a prestigious institute while Rose stayed behind to pursue her own career choice of literature. Tavros had ended up crying about the whole event and all the goodbyes being thrown about and Jake and Gamzee had gone over to console the sensitive guy. The three had become close friends, something none of them saw coming. As for our favourite dark haired teen…

Well, he was making sure to let everyone know that he cared about them, despite how ‘fucking dumb they can be’, because he didn’t want a repeat of his mom. Where he had left things unspoken and guilt and regret had eaten him up from the inside and out. He’s going to say how he feels and he’s not going to regret any of it. This could be the very last time they’re all together in one place.

And no matter how much they wished the moments could last a little longer, everything has to end eventually. And before long, the sun was already setting over the horizon and everyone had come together again to say their last goodbyes and give out their last hugs. They all gathered together while Bro used Dave’s camera to take a picture of all of them. This time, no one was goofing around and smiles were seen all around. A photo to remember all of their times together for the past four years.

After the photo had been taken, Karkat found himself crying and all their friends had gathered around him in one final group hug. Then, they had all counted from three and threw their graduation caps into the air while laughing, a very clichéd thing to do.

And then, they were all on their own way, all taking separate paths, hoping someday, they may all cross one another again.

Karkat had walked home with Dave, their parents and guardians trailing just a few feet behind him. The two had kissed goodbye when they reached their homes and waved each other goodbye as they entered their respective homes.

Karkat spent a good while looking through the photos taken that night before he was able to go to sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Dave was only staying for two weeks at home after graduation. He planned to go to Los Angeles to become a DJ like he had planned all those years ago.

Of course, the two of them had talked about it. Karkat was staying where he was and going to the local university with Rose to get their degrees in literature. And sure, they had promised to go to Los Angeles together a long time ago but plans change and Karkat finally found what he wanted to do. And Dave respected his decision and both had supported each other in their choices even if that meant that those choices would pull them apart physically. They were committed to each other and they planned to stay together despite the distance.

So, the following day after the graduation, Karkat had come over to the Strider’s to help Dave pack up the rest of his things. The blonde won’t be travelling alone. Sollux is going with him since his special tech school is apparently in Los Angeles too. Plus, he’s got his brother there who promised that the two of them will have a place to stay in while they’re there.

“And that’s the last of my shit,” Dave exclaimed, patting the top of his last luggage and sitting on top of it. Karkat grinned and easily slipped to sit down on the blonde’s lap, wrapping his arms around his neck.

“I’m gonna miss you, dumbass.” The dark haired teen had murmured, one hand cupping the other’s face. Dave leaned into the touch.

“Of course you will, babe. It’s gonna be hard to go on without this hot Strider bod beside you at night, but you’ll live.” Dave teased and Karkat flicked him hard on the forehead. “Ow, man. That shit hurts.”

Karkat crossed his arms, smirking. “Good. Maybe it’ll make you realize how fucking dumb you’re being right now.”

Dave simply chuckled and pulled the other closer who obliged without any complaints. He pulled him into a long kiss, slow and warm. Karkat sighs into it.

“Wanna have sex? I only have a few more days left here. Might as well make the most of it.” The blonde had suggested quietly when they did finally pull away. The dark haired male still blushes whenever Dave suggests it so casually. Things are so easy between the two of them now. It makes his insides flutter.

But Karkat had smiled. “Sure. Why the fuck not.” Dave grinned and placed a chaste peck on his lips before shifting around to get up and leave while Karkat sits on top of the red luggage on his own.

“Sweet. Lemme just kick Bro out of the house then we can have some privacy.” The blonde had announced and the dark haired male couldn’t help but roll his eyes despite the bashful smile playing on his lips.

The two lovebirds spent the remaining days together fucking around. Literally.

The days passed by fast. Too fast for Karkat’s liking. It wasn’t long before they were standing at the airport waiting for Dave’s and Sollux’s flight. When the intercom finally does announce that it’s time to be boarding the plane, Karkat took his time kissing his boyfriend goodbye while Sollux complained. The dark haired teen simply threw him both middle fingers behind the blonde’s back all while he was kissing him.

Soon, the dark-haired boy was leaning against the wide clear panels that showed off the runaway, watching the planes take off. He had sighed, ruffled his hair, before finally taking off and driving back home.

This was going to be a long process, but he was determined to have his relationship survive this long distance thing. They’ve been through so much together, and although this is the first real time the two of them would be apart from one another, he was determined to make things work.

He loved Dave and Dave loved him. _It’ll be enough._ He thought. _It’ll be enough_.

 

* * *

 

 

The first week was hard. The dark haired teen had been so used to his boyfriend’s presence nearby that his absence had been hard to cope with. He’d always find himself looking across his window to the neighbouring window, expecting to find Dave in there, chilling with his turntables. Then he’d remember that his boyfriend was miles and miles away from him in Los Angeles and a deep dread settles in his stomach. He also found himself constantly checking his phone for texts or calls that may or may not come from the blonde. The last text he got from the other was one telling him that he had landed safely at his destination. But as of late, his notifications were empty. He figured that Dave was probably busy getting settled in wherever he was and that the blonde would contact him whenever he can. 

The days stretched on and he found it extremely boring. His classes don’t start until a week later and with most of his friends having moved around to pursue their own careers, he didn’t have very many to hang around with.

The first text he received from Dave had made him very excited. More so than he’s willing to admit. The two sent back and forth messages before moving to call each other. Dave told the other all about his trip and what’s been happening with him for the past few days. The two talked until late into the night and Karkat couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore.

The next few days had been filled with correspondences between the two of them through texts. An update on what they were doing every so often. Although Karkat wanted to facetime with his boyfriend, Dave tells him that things are still kind of a mess so even if they did facetime, he wouldn’t be able to stay very long. Karkat had sighed and accepted that it’ll take a few more days before they can properly see each other again.

The first time they did finally get face to face was on skype, with Karkat getting his computer a facecam for it. It had been the weekend before Karkat starts his classes at the university.

Dave had awkwardly waved at the other with a sheepish grin and Karkat had teased him about all of the junk in his bedroom. The other’s room really was a mess though. Boxes and clothes were strewn around with random empty cup noodles scattered about the place as Dave showed the other around the bedroom.

The two talked as much as they can before Dave had to go again and continue arranging his things. They had said their goodbyes and Dave had cheesily blown him a kiss before dropping the call, his laughter running around Karkat’s mind long after it’s gone.

It’s only been a week and he was already missing desperately.

Soon enough though, he had things to finally be doing with his classes rolling around. He had met Rose at the campus grounds and chatted with her on their way to their first classes. Since the two of them were taking the same major, they had quite a few together. It was a relief to the dark haired male to have someone he knew with him.

What made it even better was a few of their friends were going to the same university too, the ones who stayed behind in their small suburban town. Mainly Roxy, Dirk, Nepeta, Eridan, Jake, Vriska, Terezi and Aradia.

Eridan had stayed behind and taken a major in business since he’s expected to take over his father’s company after Cronus ran off to avoid being tied down by the responsibility of being the heir to the business the Ampora’s owned. Dirk decided he didn’t really have an end goal and decided to settle down with an engineering major so he can stay with Eridan. Nepeta couldn’t bear to part with the kittens she takes care of at the local animal shelter so she stayed behind and was training to become a veterinarian. Jake was taking paleontology with Aradia and Roxy surprisingly decided she wanted to be a counsellor after her own experiences with addiction and mental illness. She wanted to help people who were going through something similar. Vriska was pursuing a career as a prosecutor with Terezi.

The rest of their friends had gone to other places much like his boyfriend. Tavros left to go back to his grandparents and take care of them since one of them has dementia and the other had Alzheimer's. Gamzee, always being the most unpredictable of the group, had left to join a fucking travelling circus. Jane left to go to the capital of the Crocker business and prepare herself further to take over the company. Feferi was on a world tour with Jade. John had surprisingly wanted to go to medical school and Equius left to go to a more prestigious school for engineering.

They were all on their separate ways and it makes his heart ache at the reality of it all. Hell, he had even gotten a job as a barista so he wouldn’t have to entirely rely on his father for financial support. He was feeling more and more like an adult every day.

Karkat’s days slowly began a routine over the next few weeks. His days were spent working and complaining about college with Rose and their remaining friends and his nights were spent chatting with his boyfriend in any way he can. Whether it’s by texting, calling, skype or facetime. His weekends were spent in the local Starbucks he and Dave used to go to to make fun of stupid hipsters like Eridan.

Normalcy had taken over once again. Karkat was beginning to get used to the way things, although he did find himself missing his boyfriend a lot. But it was fine. It was only for a few years. He’d finish his coursework and follow Dave to Los Angeles and then they’d be together again.

He had shoved all of his insecurities concerning their long-distance relationship aside. And he thought he could keep it that way for until he graduated and he can be with Dave again. But that’s the thing about anxiety- it always finds its way back to your ear to whisper your deepest worries and fears and you believe that it’s not just a possibility, it’s actually happening.

He was aware that those thoughts he had were irrational and selfish, but he couldn’t help it. He trusted Dave completely to be faithful, but the anxiety that he might not still kept Karkat up at night. He finds himself constantly needing confirmation of Dave’s whereabouts and what he was doing before he goes to sleep. He’s aware that his behaviour was wrong, but he can’t help it. The way his stomach twists uncomfortably makes him wants to cry every time at the sheer _patheticness_ of the whole thing.

Thankfully, Dave doesn’t find his constant worries annoying and gladly lets the other know whatever he needed to hear. But Karkat was also aware that he’s going to be sooner or later.

His anxiety was only heightened when Karkat finally met Dave’s roommates at the house he’s renting a room at. It turned out to be a Peixes home owned by Meenah Peixes and has her friends rent out rooms while they stayed over at Los Angeles. Dave had mentioned to Karkat that the house was pretty big and kinda overrated, but it does the job of sheltering it him so he was fine with it all. Apparently, Sollux got his brother Mituna convince Meenah to let them stay over at the Peixes mansion.

What worried the dark-haired male was a particular video call with Dave recently. The blonde had set up his laptop in the living room to finally let Karkat have a tour around the house he was staying at and introduce his roommates.

Most of them had been rowdy and teased Strider about his apparently ‘cute boyfriend’ and Karkat had laughed along, though he felt a little bashful at all of the compliments being thrown his way.

There was Meenah Peixes herself, twenty-one years old with the same dark tan Feferi has and bright fuschia eyes. She wore a punk rock style with skulls on her crop top and artificial rips on her jeans. She was loud and obnoxious and highly reminded Karkat of Vriska.

Then there was Cronus, who was hiding out in Los Angeles from his family and doing whatever the hell he wanted around the city. He kept an unlit cigarette in his mouth and Karkat immediately pinned him down as a ‘class A douchebag’.

Arenea was kind of the mom figure of the group. Karkat was surprised she was related the Serkets at all. She wore white framed glasses and mostly wore modest blue dresses with a fluffy beige cardigan over it. She was nice and polite to Karkat and wasn’t afraid to smack her friends in the head when she thought they were being inappropriate. Even her apparent girlfriend, Meenah.

Horuss was a shy one and Karkat actually barely got a look at him, but his boyfriend, Rufioh had been roughhousing with Cronus. Rufioh, Karkat decided, was like a less sleazy version of Eridan’s sleazy older brother.

What really amped up Karkat’s anxieties was one roommate in particular. He honestly didn’t expect it, but he has never met most of his friend’s older brothers and sisters after all. He didn’t know what he was expecting. He certainly wasn’t expecting _Damara Megido_ to be the one he’d be worried about.

While all the others bickered about in the background as they were saying their hellos to the dark-haired teen, Damara had leaned over the couch with an arm around the blonde, her low cut V neck leaving nothing to the imagination. She had a wicked smile on her face and an actually lit cigarette in her hand.

“I didn’t expect your boyfriend to be a Vantas, Dave.” The girl commented, leaning just a little too close to his boyfriend’s ear, a prominent Japanese accent to her voice. Dave looked like he barely noticed though.

“You got to admit, he’s as cute as Kanny, ‘Mara.” Cronus had piped up, popping on the opposite side of the screen where Damara was leaning over the back of the couch. The sleazy Ampora winked at the dark haired teen and he had made a gagging motion in response. “You’re pretty lucky to catch a Vantas, Strider. They’re loud in bed. I would know.”

Dave shoved the other male out of frame, a clear flush displaying on his cheeks. “Oh fuck off, Cronus. Karkat’s fucking off limits, you bastard.” He had groaned, though there was a sense of playfulness to his voice.

Damara had narrowed her eyes. “But Dave, is he really?” She had asked casually and took a drag of her cigarette.

“Okay guy, fuck off. Seriously, stay out of my fucking sex life, what the fuck. I literally just met you all a few weeks ago.” Dave said but his laughter said otherwise.

Sollux popped into the background, covering the two girls arguing behind him. He leaned on the back of the couch, opposite of Megido. “When ith Karkat ever fucking quiet? Of courthe he’d be loud. That’th a fucking given.”

Karkat scowled, although he was glad to see his friend again. “Fuck you, Captor. Like you’re one to talk. Aradia tells me you’re a whiny bitch when it comes to sex.” He had retorted and leaned back on his computer chair victoriously at the red creeping up the pale boy’s skin. Looks like that claim was actually pretty fucking true. Dave and Cronus laughed out loud.

“HE GOT YOU GOOD.” Mituna’s voice comes from the background and Sollux turns around to presumably glare at his brother.

“Fuck you, ‘Tuna.” He had said in response, leaning off the couch and disappearing to the other side of the frame as he probably moved to fuck up his brother’s shit. Karkat smiled fondly. At least it looked like Dave has a lot of fun around the house.

“Alright guys, fuck off, I actually want to have a proper fucking conversation with Kitkat here.” The blonde had said, shooing away his roommates. Everybody slowly left the screen, Damara being the last one to leave, hand on the blonde’s shoulder lingering for a moment longer than Karkat would like. Actually, seeing Damara act so obviously flirty to his boyfriend made Karkat realize just _how much_ Dave has changed since he was a lanky thirteen year old at the start of high school. The blonde’s shoulders were broader and his body had filled out in all the right places. Truthfully, Dave was fucking _gorgeous_ , and that only fueled Karkat’s anxieties even more.

Once they were all gone, Dave smiled sheepishly at his boyfriend, running his fingers through his hair. “Sorry about that, Karkat. They’ve been asking about you for weeks ever since they found out I was dating someone.”

Karkat swallowed thickly and tried to smile. “It’s fine. How’d they find out anyway?” He had asked, resting his cheek on his hand to seem relaxed.

Dave worried his lip, pushing his shades above his head. Karkat’s heart leapt to his throat almost immediately. “Uh, Damara, right? She kind of tried to flirt with me but I told her I was already taken and everyone else heard and they just sort of got on my case about it.”

Karkat nodded, licking his lips. His whole mouth suddenly felt very dry. “So, anyway, how’s everything so far over there? Found a job yet?” He questioned, changing the subject easily.

Dave seemed to light up at the question and began to tell the other all about the recent events in his life. Like how Cronus had helped him get a gig at one of the bars he frequented and about all of the cool things he’s seen so far around Los Angeles whenever he got the time to wander around the city. Karkat had smiled and forgotten about his worries, although a silent ache still lingered in the pit of his stomach, refusing to go away.

In turn, Karkat told Dave all about his studies and their friends and how they’ve all been doing. He told him about his crappy part-time job at Starbucks and they proceeded to reminisce about their early high school days, way back before they actually got together. He also told him how his Bro had been doing and that the older man apparently wanted to let him know that ‘You’re not allowed to come home broke and shit because he’s already done eighteen years of having to provide for you and it’s time to grow the fuck up’. Dave had laughed and told Karkat to tell his Bro to ‘Fuck himself with his creepy smuppet dildos’. Karkat had grinned and promised to convey the message clearly.

They talked for hours like they usually do before Karkat had to turn in for the night if he wanted to catch his classes in the morning. They said their goodbyes and kissed through the screen like from some cheesy romcom about long distance relationships. The last thing Karkat saw of his boyfriend was him chucking a pillow at Cronus who hooted at the show of affection from one of the hallways.

But much as he tried, the dark-haired male couldn’t sleep very well that night. His thoughts always wandered back to the girl with a deep v neck t-shirt, the shortest pair of shorts he’s ever seen, and thigh high black fishnet stockings.

He went to school the next day like a regular college student zombie. With black sweatpants and a matching black sweater, heavily caffeinated beverage in hand.

Rose had clearly seen the terrible mood Karkat was in and decided to investigate at their morning classes together. Their professor was an elderly man with terrible vision, so it was easy to have a chat in class.

“You look worse for wear. Did something happen?” The blonde girl had inquired, organizing her things meticulously on the table. Karkat breathed out a heavy sigh and took a long sip from his coffee cup.

“‘S nothing.” He had mumbled. Rose raised an eyebrow.

“It’s about my cousin, isn’t it?” Rose smirked when she saw the other tense up for a moment before forcing his muscles to relax. “What’s he done this time?”

Karkat bit his lip, swishing his coffee around and debating whether he should vent out his worries or not. He supposed it wouldn’t be a bad idea, Rose had been his friends go to pseudo-therapist whenever drama arose in their group. And she had a code of confidentiality like any professional therapist would; she wouldn’t tell anyone unless she thought it beneficial but always with the person’s explicit permission. He sighed and set his cup down to fully face the girl. “It’s not something he’s done, really. It more so has something to with _me_ personally…”

The purple-eyed girl nodded, resting her chin on her hand as she faced him as well. “Go on.”

Karkat bit his lip. Then he let out an explosive sigh. “Okay. Okay. Is it bad that I’m worried about Dave’s loyalty to me? I mean, I trust him completely, but like, I still can’t help worrying about the people he interacts with who I don’t know jack shit about?”

Rose hummed in response. “So in short, you don’t trust the people Dave interacts with? Any reason that brought on these feelings?”

The dark haired male grimaced. “I mean, it’s always been there, I guess, ever since he left. Maybe it’s the distance thing and my own insecurities getting to me but…” Karkat cleared his throat, eyes averted. “He has this, um, _roommate._ Aradia’s older sister, Damara Megido. It’s stupid and selfish and maybe I’m projecting my own insecurities, but… She rubs me the wrong way.”

“In what way exactly?”

Karkat licked his lips nervously. “Um… I mean, I feel like she’s a little too close and too… _handsy_ with Dave. I just… I can’t help but fucking make up shitty scenarios of what could happen or what _is_ happening when I don’t see or know what Dave is doing. I know it’s irrational and highly unlikely, but it still makes me feel like absolute shit. Mostly because I know I’m being stupid but not knowing makes me feel awful but also asking constantly about what Dave’s doing to alleviate the awful feeling of not knowing while my head runs rampant with unrealistic thoughts also makes me feel awful. Because I’m looking for confirmation and validation when there’s no reason I should be. So I just end up feeling generally awful either way and I _hate_ myself for it and I don’t know what to do. It's just a circle of absolute bullshittery with seemingly no end in sight.”

Rose stared at Karkat for a little while before focusing her attention back on the board. “You know, I can understand what you’re feeling. Maybe not to the same level as you feel, but I’ve definitely felt insecure about my own relationship with Kanaya because she’s so far away. That constant feeling of possessiveness and fear of losing someone who’s dear to you. But also being afraid that your own possessive nature would drive them away in the first place. So you try to hold everything back, but you feel awful even more because you’re bottling all of those feelings up. I get it.”

Karkat nodded, fiddling with the hem of his sweater. “Having insecurities is okay, it just means you're human. Everyone has their own insecurities, even myself. But really, you should talk to Dave about your insecurities, Karkat. Let him know your feelings and why you need so many reassurances. The last thing you want is for him to feel like you’re restricting him by always asking where he’s been or who he’s been with. Understanding the meaning behind your actions can go a long way. Kanaya and I keep an open and honest relationship and it keeps us close. You should know best that communication is important between two people in a relationship. You're the romance expert, after all.”

Karkat smiled at that.

The dark haired male sighed and nodded. What Rose was saying was right. He should talk to Dave about this instead of letting it fester inside of him like a disgusting plague.

 

* * *

 

 

Months and months passed, almost a full year, and he still hadn’t found a way to talk about his feelings. Sure, he’s had plenty of opportunities to, but he had let it slip by, overtaken by his fears and anxiety. 

What if he didn’t understand or never felt the same way towards him? What if he found Karkat annoying and decided he didn’t need him constantly nagging about every little thing he does? What if he _did_ understand but decided that it didn’t give him the right to be asking so many questions anyway? What if, what if, _what if_?

He wanted to know. He wanted to know the answers to every what if question his mind proposed because then it would give him a definitive answer and the ambiguity of it all would stop tormenting him. But he was also scared of what those answers could be. He was scared that those answers, those _definitive answers,_  could break him more than the ambiguity ever did. It came down to the question of whether he wanted to know and face whatever consequence lay beyond it or if he just wanted to stay blissfully unaware. But he feared to know much more than not knowing. Which only fed the flame of his insecurities and made the what if questions even more prominent.

He didn’t want to feel like he was suffocating his partner. He knew that it was good to have lives outside of their relationship, that it was healthy, but he can’t help constantly feeling jealous of those that do get to see and touch and hear Dave on a daily basis. The thought that someone sees, touches and hears Dave more often than he does rattles him to the core. And he hated it because it was _wrong_. His feelings were wrong and unwarranted.

And despite _knowing_ this, he slowly lost self control and couldn’t help but do exactly what he knew had the potential to totally fuck up what they had. To fuck it up so badly that they may never even be able to pick up the pieces to even form a functional friendship, much less a relationship. All to give him a sense of safety, a sense of security, to let him _sleep_ at night. All because he was fucking _selfish_. _Selfish, selfish, selfish._

He was literally shooting himself in the fucking foot.

He was aware that his behaviour was self-sabotaging. That his behaviour was beginning to become self-destructive. But that's the thing about self-destruction. You’re aware that you’re destroying yourself, but you don’t have the will to stop yourself because you crave the short term comfort it provides you with and scares you with the thought that if you don’t do what you already do, that short moment of comfort could disappear completely.

He knew this day would come. He knew this day would happen sooner than later. He knew. He knew, but he had let it happen anyway.

“Seriously, I was just out at the bar with Sollux, that’s it. We didn’t do anything aside from getting a few drinks. I already promised you that I won’t get drunk and possibly do stupid shit, do you really think I’d go back on my word? Especially to you, Karkat?” His voice sounded muffled to the thick molasses in his head and the ringing in his ears. He felt far away and Karkat felt like he was slowly drowning.

“I was just asking.” His voice had come out as a whisper.

“That’s the problem, Karkat! You just keep on asking. ‘Where did I have my lunch, who did I have it with, who did I last talk to, why didn’t I text you good night, why didn’t I tell you I was going out with friends, why didn’t I call you as soon as I got home,’ it’s _tiring_ , Karkat. Don’t you trust me?” The last words were like a hot knife cutting through the butter that was his brain. It _stuck_ and it _stung_.

“I’m sorry.” The words left his mouth automatically. His eyes felt heavy and the phone felt like it was a lead weight welded to his fingers.

“Karkat, I really want this to work.”

There it was.

_But I can’t do this anymore._

_But it’s just not working between us anymore._

_But I’ve changed and you’ve changed and I don’t think we’re right for each other anymore._

_But, but, but._

**_But, but, but._ **

There was always going to be a but, and he couldn’t handle to hear whatever he was going to say next after it.

He had let out a strangled noise from the back of his throat and dropped the call. He curled in on himself on his bed, burying his face into his knees and ignored the buzzing noises his phone made. He only picked it up mute before throwing it across the room.

He was running away like the fucking _selfish coward_ that he was.

He felt like he couldn’t breathe, taking in short breaths in quick successions. He realized, horrified, that he was actually having a _panic_ _attack_ right now. Everything felt too wide, too bright. Everything felt numb and tightly stretched out like an elastic being pulled to its limits. Everything felt too cold and too hot at the same time. He felt like he was suffocating, and there was loud buzzing inside his head that he just can’t block out.

He stood up from his bed and hid in the closet, pushing his back as far into the wall as he could. He wasn’t even aware of the flood running down his cheeks or the snot running down his nose. All he felt was a deep aching feeling in his chest and like a hole had been blasted through his stomach leaving a gaping wide hole. He dug his dull fingernails into his skin until they turned white. Bit down hard on his lips until he tasted the metallic tang of blood.

Everything was too much and he felt like he was a ticking bomb about to explode into bits.

He stayed in this frozen state, like a bomb always almost about to explode, an elastic always almost about to break apart, but never actually getting to release the tension.

He had simply slowly calmed as if all the energy had been sucked out of him and he couldn’t move a muscle without feeling exhausted. So, he stayed inside his closet, blinking at his bed across the room, before eventually falling asleep on the floor.

 

* * *

 

 

He didn’t attend his classes when the next day. It didn’t matter anyway, he missed most of them, having woken at almost two thirty in the afternoon. How he had slept for so long, he has no idea.

Karkat crawled out from inside his closet when he heard a knock at his door, followed by the voice of his father. “Karkat? You awake yet?”

He grunted and pulled himself to his feet, stumbling for a moment with how weak his legs felt. Actually, he felt weak all over his body, a dull ache in his joints. “Yeah, you can come in.” He had called out.

The door opened with his father peeking inside. “You alright? You’ve got a visitor downstairs.” Karkat frowned at this.

“Who?”

His father shrugged. “It’s Rose. Said she was worried when you didn’t come to your classes. I told her that you’ve been looking stressed out lately and that I let you sleep for most of the day just for this one time.”

The dark haired male nodded and slowly made his limbs work to bring him out of his bedroom door and down the stairs. Sitting in the living room was Rose, sipping a cup of tea with a tray of half eaten biscuits on the coffee table. Karkat sighed and sat himself down heavily on the couch opposite of the blonde girl.

She took her time finishing her cup of tea before she finally spoke. “Are you alright? I received a rather distressed call from my cousin when he couldn’t reach you and became rather distressed myself when you didn’t answer your phone or my texts along with missing a day of classes.”

The dark haired male breathed heavily through his nose, head down and fingers roughly running through his hair. “Yeah. I’m… I’m fine, I guess.” Rose raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

“Dave informed me that something happened. What, he wouldn’t exactly tell me in detail. Just that he wanted me to check on you and see if you were alright.”

Karkat bit his lip, feeling the dull ache of where he had bitten himself enough to bleed last night. He could feel the scab it formed with his tongue. “I’m fine. Just… Tell him I’m fine.”

Rose set her teacup down on the table all demurely. “He also asked to tell you to call him. I hear you’ve got something important to discuss.”

Dread pooled in the pit of his stomach. Of course, he knew he couldn’t run away from it even for a few days, maybe weeks, and even less so of forever. “I had a panic attack.” He found himself saying, Rose raising her eyebrow higher. It was a weak excuse to justify his stupidity, he knows this and Rose knows this, but she was kind enough not to call him out on his bullshit. 

“And… What brought on this drastic physical response?”

His breath hitched and he could feel the warmth in his eyes threatening to fall. He took a long steadying breath. “I got scared.” Was the vague reply he managed to push out.

Rose hummed in response. “You didn’t talk to him about it, did you?” She guessed easily and Karkat nodded. She sighed. “I’m assuming the two of you got into an argument last night?”

Karkat shrugged. “It wasn’t really much of an argument.”

The blonde girl nodded. “Then you got scared of… Scared of what exactly? That he was going to break up with you and that would be the end of everything the two of you ever had?” Karkat flinched at hearing the words out loud. In his head, they had been a menacing possibility, but hearing it out loud, it sounded completely irrational.

Rose forged on. “I’m honestly disappointed in your lack of faith in my cousin, Karkat. That you could actually assume that Dave would- _could_ \- throw everything he had with you away over a small thing like this that could be fixed with a little more communication on both of your parts. If you need a reminder on just how much Dave loves you, I could recount every single time he’s brought you up in our conversations and said how great you are and how happy he is with you. And by recount, I mean if I had a penny for each time Dave did what I said, I’d be ‘filthy fucking rich’, as he would say.”

Guilt choked the words out of him, and he reached his hands up to cover his face as new tears streamed down his face. God, he was so fucking embarrassing and pathetic. How he deserves someone like Dave is incomprehensible to him. Rose’s eyes softened. “I honestly didn’t think he’d be able to keep a long lasting stable relationship with anyone romantically four years ago. With how much he jumped from one girl to another with little care, I thought he’d continue to be that way all the way past high school. But you’ve always been his constant, Karkat. You’ve been there since the very beginning and stuck through despite your years long of unrequited love for my dearest cousin and his stupid antics. You had every chance to walk away and distance yourself in an attempt to get rid of your feelings, but instead, you continued to love him quietly despite the suffering it brought you.”

The raven-haired male was openly and grossly sobbing now in front of the blonde who reached over the coffee table to pat his knee comfortingly. “He told me about the time you told him about how you were willing to suffer just to keep your friendship together even if there was a chance you never went anywhere with him romantically. He told me how much he admires you for your dedication to him. He, quote ‘wouldn’t stay with himself for as long as you have if he was in your position’, unquote. He understands how much you’ve sacrificed for him and he honestly feels guilty every day because he has no idea how to show the kind of devotion you gave him, back to you. Do you really think he would throw all of that away just because you’ve got a few insecurities? Karkat, he would go through _heaven and hell_ for _you_. _Remember that._ So I'm honestly a little insulted myself that you think so little of him. I know he can be a 'douchebag' sometimes, but he's a good person. _You_ of all people should know this.”

Rose sighed and shifted from her seat to join the dark-haired male where he sat. She had wrapped her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder all while he cried like he was six again at the playpark and he had just sprained his ankle after falling from the tree. He remembers how the little blonde boy who was younger than him and smaller than him at the time had walked a mile and a half with him on his back just so he wouldn’t have to walk on his sprained ankle.

How could he fucking forget that?

He had let the blonde girl hold him, much like how Kanaya used to when he was upset like this. He knows now just how much in good hands Kanaya is.

He cried and cried until he had nothing left to give. And she had stuck through it all, patting his back comfortingly.

He owes Rose Lalonde a huge fucking debt.

 

* * *

 

 

“Karkat!” The sheer relief that sounded in his voice was like another stab of guilt to the dark haired male’s chest. He couldn’t bear to look at the blonde and his glittering red eyes so he kept his eyes down on his keyboard. “I was so fucking worried about you. Are you okay?”

Karkat rubbed at his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater. His eyes still stung from how much he had cried just earlier that afternoon. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“That’s good.” The blonde had said before the two of them lapsed into silence, neither seemingly able to look at the other.

“I’m really sorry for-”

“I just wanted to say-"

The both of them had started at the same time. Karkat ducked his head in embarrassment while Dave rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “You go first.” Karkat insisted.

Dave swallowed thickly and nodded. He taps out a silent beat on the table his laptop is currently sitting at. A nervous habit Karkat had picked up on a long time ago. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry I snapped at you and said the things I did.”

Karkat frowned. “What? Why are you sorry? I should be the one apologizing, I overreacted and you had valid points as to why you said the things you did.”

“I just… Am I doing something wrong? So wrong that you apparently can’t trust me to step out my bedroom?” Welp. There’s another stab of guilt to Karkat’s chest. He’s really growing a collection there, damn. The dark haired male worried his lip.

“You’re not doing anything wrong.” He murmured, lightly brushing his fingers across the keys on the keyboard.

“Then what is it? Because I can change-"

“No!” Karkat had countered quickly, eyes widening and staring at the screen in front of him. “No.” He repeated, more gently this time. “Don’t do that. Don’t ever do that, you don’t have to change for me, that’s something I’d never want you to do.”

“Then what is it that you want me to do?” He asked almost pleadingly and Karkat honestly had no idea how to make this better. “Because Karkat, I really want to make this work. And I swear I’ll fucking do whatever it takes to _make_ it work.”

His breath got caught in his throat.

No but.

There was never a but in the very beginning, was there?

Karkat felt like crying again.

“I just want to know you’re mine.” He found himself saying before he could think the words through. He was finding it hard to breathe again, and wow, was that the walls slowly closing in on him?

“I am.” The blonde’s sharp red eyes softened. “Always will be.”

The dark haired male couldn’t take it anymore. Tears spilled from his eyes once again, emotions flooding his chest and overflowing, too much for him to handle. He covered his face with his hands and curled into a ball on the desk chair he currently occupied.

“Hey, hey, hey, babe,” Dave’s voice was soft and soothing and it only made his heart ache even more, his absence much more prominent. Karkat cried harder. “Babe, _babe. Karkat_. Look at me? Please?”

The dark haired male raised his face from his knees and lowered his hands enough to see the screen, although Dave was just a blonde blob with all of the tears obscuring his vision. He roughly brushed them away. “C’mere. Come closer to your screen. This is gonna be really fucking cheesy and clichéd, but what the fuck, since when did I ever give a shit about that when it came to you? Lean your head against the screen.”

Karkat did as he was instructed and leaned his head against the screen, much like what Dave did. “Listen to me, okay? Close your eyes and listen to me carefully.” Karkat closed his eyes, keeping himself propped up on his elbows on the table.

A beat of silence. “Karkat Vantas,” Dave started, and the way his name fell from his lips, the way it sounded in his voice, made his heartache in the greatest way possible. “I love you. You hear me? I love _you_. And I’ll keep on saying it no matter how many times you ask me to. I’ll say it even if you don’t ask me to, or when you’re mad at me, or when we’re arguing because there’s _never_ a single moment where that phrase wasn’t _true_. I love you, I always have, and I always will. I know I’m not there right now, and I can’t kiss your tears away, or hold you until you stop shaking, but I can stay here for as long as you need me to. As long as you want me to. There’s no one in this world, or any other, who I’ll be able to love the same way I love you. It’s you, it’s always been you. Alright? No one else. There was never anyone else. So there’s no need for you to be scared, ever. I’m not leaving. You’re enough. _You’re always enough for me_.”

Choked sobs and mewling whimpers escaped Karkat’s lips. There wasn’t a word in all of existence that could describe how happy and grateful he is, because it turns out, he really needed to hear those words.

That he was good enough, someone worth sticking with. That Dave loved him in ways he couldn’t imagine even in his dreams. Because that’s really what this whole thing has been about, wasn’t it? His inability to believe in his own self-worth. The distance brought out every single negative thought he thought about himself.

From the very beginning, how he always believed Dave would never look at him the way he wants him to look at him because he didn’t think he was worth _anything_. Worth anything more than a friend. Why he’d always had so little faith in Dave because really, what was so worth it about Karkat Vantas?

He was selfish.

He was a coward.

He was self-entitled.

He was unpleasant.

He was rude.

He was insecure.

He wasn’t attractive.

He wasn’t particularly intelligent.

He wasn’t athletic.

He didn’t have any special talents.

He was _just_ so painfully _average_.

 _He was pathetic_.

So _why? Why wouldn’t Dave ever look for someone better than him?_

Terezi was funny. She was clever. She was fun to be with. She was sexy. She was confident without trying, confident _despite_ her disability. She was brave. She was daring. She was wild. She was beautiful. She was cool. She was a fucking untameable dragon that could make any man bow before her. _She was one in a million_.

Jade was sweet. She was charming. She was popular. She was pretty. She was a genius. She was the whole package deal, the perfection any teenage girl strived for. She was optimistic. She was creative. She was caring. She was a daughter of the cosmos, stardust in her lungs, planets in her hair, worlds in her eyes. _She was a diamond amongst coal._

And what was he?

He was just Karkat Vantas.

Messy black birdnest’s of a hair. A different shade of black for every day of the week. A default resting bitch face. Dull grey eyes. Short, thin figure. An inappropriate mouth.

_So why wouldn’t Dave look for someone better?_

That’s what this has always been about. That’s the question he’s been afraid of getting answered all this time. Because the answer is definitive. Permanent like any other answer is.

_Why wouldn’t Dave Strider look for someone better?_

_Because you’re nothing._

Anxiety, fear, worry, pain, had whispered in his ear.

But here was Dave, telling him the complete opposite.

_Why wouldn’t Dave Strider look for someone better?_

_Because he loves you._

_Because he chose you._

_Because you’re you_.

And that was enough.

He was enough.

 

* * *

 

 

Spring break was just around the corner and Karkat couldn’t wait. The two of them had planned for the dark-haired male to come to visit the blonde for two weeks during spring break. 

Sure, he still felt the occasional worry or anxiety over Dave going out with his newly made friends in Los Angeles, but it wasn’t quite as worse as it had been before. And that was fine. Anxiety doesn’t magically disappear over the course of one tearful declaration of dying love. That’s not how it works. It takes time to change your thought processes. But he’s making progress and that’s what matters.

The dark haired male had been checking off the days until he could jump on a plane to see his boyfriend again. It’s been a full year since they last touched.

It didn’t take long before the weeks turned into days and days turned to mere hours. And then, he was on a plane to Los Angeles. Aradia had decided to join him on the trip, wanting to reunite with her own boyfriend. Karkat had enjoyed the company.

When the plane did finally touch down and Karkat finally got off the plane, as soon as he saw the familiar blonde and douchebag aviators, he found himself running into the waiting arms of his boyfriend- his soulmate (he was sure about it, no doubts at all).

Aradia had done pretty much the same, hearing her loud squeal in the background while he buried his face into Dave’s neck and breathed in his familiar scent. “I missed you.” He had mumbled into his shirt while the other laughed into his hair.

“I missed you more.” Karkat groaned, pulling more laughter from the blonde.

“No, we’re definitely not doing this here. We could literally stay here all night long going back and forth with this stupid bullshit and I’d really like to rest right now. Travelling fucking sucks and I’m tired. And hungry. You better have something prepared for me, Strider.”

Dave nuzzled into his hair. “Sorry babe. Just ramen and cup noodles. Unless you want to eat-"

Karkat had put a hand over the blonde’s mouth, cheeks tinted a light shade of red. “No, I am definitely not ‘eating dick’, Dave. Not tonight at least.”

Dave waggled his eyebrows. “Is that a promise?” He questioned, voice muffled by the other’s hand. Karkat smirked deviously and leaned close to his ear.

“If you want it to be.” He had whispered before separating himself from the other, smirking victoriously at the glorious blush on Strider’s face.

“Seriously, man? You’re just gonna say sexy shit like that and leave me with an awkward boner?” The blonde had called out as the other was moving to the conveyor belt to retrieve his luggage. Karkat simply flipped him the bird.

“Thuckth being you, thrider.” Sollux had piped up from beside him. Aradia smirked and raised an eyebrow.

“Who said you’re getting any either?” She had casually stated before following after Karkat to grab her own luggage, flipping her hair sassily in the process.

“Man. They’re so fucking unfair. Hot, but definitely unfair.”

“Please thuth the fuck up, DV.”

“Make me.”

“Oh my god why did I ever think being friendth with you would ever be a good idea? How fucking brain damaged wath fifteen year old me to fail to thee what a horrible decithion that would be?”

“Everyone just can’t keep their hands off of the Strider brand. Everyone wants one but sadly, stock is running low and it doesn’t look like the factory is gonna make anymore. The Strider brand is exclusive shit, and you better be glad I’m gracing you with some right now. Not many people get to have a piece of the Strider brand. You are one of the few who has been graced o the Strider brand. Has had a taste of the Strider brand. But please control yourself around me, I know I’m irresistible and addicting and all but I’m already sworn to someone else.”

Sollux punched the blonde on the shoulder. “I’d rather eat thit and die.”

“Oi Captor, I’m the only one allowed to physically abuse Strider. Keep your filthy, greasy hands off of him.” Karkat had called out, pulling his luggage along behind him while Aradia giggled.

Dave waggled his brows once more. “Kinky.”

“The two of your are dithguthting.” Sollux spat.

“Are you boys going to take us home or not?” Aradia had reminded the two of them, raising an eyebrow.

“Alright fuckerth. And light of my world, love of my life, Aradia. Into my fucking thitty car, next dethtination Catha de Peixeth.”

 

* * *

 

 

Almost as soon as Karkat stepped into the Peixes mansion Dave is staying at, Cronus had come up and started hitting on him. Karkat had simply made gagging noises at the other, much like he had that one time Cronus winked at him at a video call. Dave apparently found this hilarious because he couldn’t stop laughing until the shorter one punched him hard on the shoulder. 

Dave had briefly introduced him to all of his roommates before steering him to the blonde's bedroom. The dark haired male hasn’t seen Damara around, apparently, she was out at work during this time of the night since she graveyard hours. Dave promised he’d give Karkat a tour of the house in the morning.

Finally seeing the other side of Dave’s life in Los Angeles further helped alleviate the dark haired male’s worries about his boyfriend.

The blonde had locked the door to his bedroom and the two of them spent most of the time _catching up_. And by catching up, he means making-out on the bed.

“Can I?” Karkat always loved when Dave asked that question. He greatly appreciated the other’s consideration of his consent every time they got up to dirty things. Dave never assumes that Karkat wants it and always gives him room to comfortably say no.

This time though, the only thing really stopping them is the fact that they weren’t alone around the house. And Dave is aware of the other’s anxiousness about that fact. But, the blonde seemed extra eager to get closer to the dark haired teen because this is the first time he’s tried to convince Karkat when he wasn’t sure about doing it. “I promise the walls are pretty thick around here. And the rooms are pretty far apart. It’ll be fine as long as you keep quiet enough.”

Karkat had bit his lip and nodded. He expected the other to push him down the bed and crawl on top like he usually does, but is pleasantly surprised when Dave gets on his knees instead while Karkat remained sitting on the bed. “Are you sure? What about you-?”

The blonde shook his head as he carefully undid the zipper to the dark haired male’s jeans. “It’s fine. I really want to do this for you. I can deal with my own problem myself later. All I want right now is you.”

He had swallowed thickly because holy shit this was weirdly sweet of Dave. He had leaned back and let himself relax, letting the other do what he did best. Like he was going to let Dave jerk it off by himself later. He’s definitely going to help, but for now, he let his boyfriend do what he wanted to do to him.

The next day, the two of them toured around the city, Dave showing off the local sights to see to the other. Sollux and Aradia had gone out on their own tour with Sollux taking the dark-haired girl to the local hiking trail. He found it sweet how the hacker boy was willing to go do something he hated vehemently, physical activity, just for his girlfriend because she loved it. They were perfect for one another.

Dave had shown Karkat the best local restaurants and had taken him to an observatory and a museum for the day. Most of the time though, Dave had simply went on a cruise drive around the city while the two of them talked. But apparently, the main event was at night where the blonde brought his boyfriend to the club he was playing at for that night. The rest of the residents at the Peixes mansion tagged along with the two of them.

The dark haired male finally met Damara that night. And to his relief, she was just apparently generally touchy with everyone. Even with him. The fact that she wasn’t actively gunning for the blonde sickly lifted a weight off his shoulders.

For most of the night, Karkat spent his time at the bar with Sollux, who both bonded about the fact that this wasn’t their type of enjoyable activity. But eventually, Aradia pulled her boyfriend to the dance floor, leaving Karkat alone. He sighed and took a long sip from his glass of liquor. He’s never been one for alcohol, only having it a few times back home with their friends because Roxy insists that they have a little fun and not waste their youth. She’s managed to control her alcohol consumption though and everyone was proud of her for it.

The dark haired male had simply been sitting around on the counter when a pair of hands covered his eyes from behind. “Guess who.” Someone had whispered into his ear so he could hear it above the loud, booming music. Karkat grinned.

“Dave, this is really disgustingly cheesy even for you, what the fuck.” The blonde had laughed and dropped his hands to lean against the counter beside the other. He flipped his shades up above his head.

“So, what’s a beautiful stranger like you doing ‘round here all alone?” Dave drawled, leaning in close to the other. This pulled an eye roll from the dark haired male.

He decided to play along though. “Who the fuck ever said I’m here alone?”

The blonde feigned a shocked gasp. “ _Karkat_. Are you really cheating on me while I’m up there in the booth, toiling away at my craft to earn some measly bucks to take you to observatories and museums and _this_ is how you repay me? _Shame on you_.” Karkat laughed and pushed the blonde’s face away.

“You’re a fucking dork, Strider.”

The two of them had laughed before the blonde’s attention was pulled away by a tap on his shoulder. A girl, long haired blonde and pretty blue-eyed, had leaned on the counter opposite of Dave and rested her cheek on her hand. “Dave! I didn’t know you were playing tonight! I’m assuming you’re on your break right now?” She had greeted cheerily enough, the kind of sweetness that reminded Karkat of Jade Harley. His hand tightened around his glass. The girl either didn’t notice him or didn’t care. Her full attention was on the blonde.

“Hey, Carly. Yeah, I’m taking my break right now- started to get too lonely up in the booth all by myself.” The seemed to know each other on a first name basis and Karkat assumed that it’s one of the people Dave interacted with frequently while on his job. So the dark-haired male kept his mouth shut, attempting to seem nonchalant. It was fine. It should be fine.

The girl had laughed, twirling a piece of her hair. “Well… You know you could always join us girls on the dance floor. What do you think?”

 _It’s fine_.

“Nah. I’ve already got great company right here.”

The girl had grinned, sidling closer to the other. “Oh really?”

That was it. Karkat was about to intervene and be the rude asshole that he is- when Dave had casually thrown an arm around him, an easy smile on his lips. “Yeah, I’m with my boyfriend tonight. You know, the one I’ve been _telling_ _you about_. Carly, this is Karkat. Karkat, this is Carly. There, now you know each other. He’s staying here for two weeks.”

Karkat stared at Dave as he casually pulled him closer. The blonde girl’s eyes widened and she began to sputter before mumbling quiet sorry and retreating back to the crowd of people on the dance floor, clearly embarrassed.

Once she was gone, the blonde had barked out a laugh, running his fingers through his hair all while the other continued to stare at him.

“What. The _actual_ fuck. Was that?” Karkat demanded, crossing his arms while the blonde simply continued to chuckle.

“Alright, you know how I’ve mentioned that there’s some annoying people at my workplace? She’s one of them. She or one of her friends constantly hit on me when I’m on my break and there have been multiple times when I had to hide out in the bathroom to avoid them. Usually, though, Cronus and Rufioh keep them occupied for me when they’re around.” The blonde had explained with a shrug. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while now to get her off my case.”

Karkat stared at the other for a long while before bursting out into giggles. “What?” Dave questioned, raising an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”

“It’s just… I can’t _believe_ you’d be hiding out in the bathroom from a bunch of _girls_. _Holy shit that is priceless_.”

Dave huffed, crossing his arms. “See? This is why I didn’t tell you about it until now, you’re just gonna laugh at my very real _issues_. You’re so _heartless_ , Karkat.”

The dark haired male simply continued to laugh. Eventually, though, the blonde grinned and had laughed along with his boyfriend while he slipped his hand into the other’s on the counter, intertwining their fingers together.

The two of them continued to chat the rest of the blonde’s break. Then, Dave had pulled Karkat along up to the DJ booth where he did most of his work. The dark haired male watched his boyfriend do what he did best, a smile on his lips to see how happy the blonde was with what he did.

He leaned against the wall behind the turntables and simply watched and listened as the other sat and played music. Eventually, Dave has another break and the blonde turns to grin over at the other.

“So, what do you think?”

Karkat smiled. “I think you’ve got something really good here.” Dave beamed at that and reached his hand out for the other to take. He slowly guided the other closer to him, holding both of his hands in his.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, alright? We’re gonna make it through this.” Dave muttered, eyes glittering under all the colourful lights darting about in the darkness all around them. The blonde reached up to brush away some hair covering the other’s grey eyes. Karkat smiled sweetly down at his boyfriend.

“I know. I trust you.”

Dave smiled and pulled the other down to share a slow, loving kiss, both of them sighing into it.

“We’ll make this work. Just a few more years and you’ll finish your studies, then you can come to join me here and we’ll look for shitty apartments together and maybe buy a cat and name him Wilson.” Karkat laughed softly at the other’s antics.

“We’ll be together.” Dave had muttered, pulling Karkat close and burying his face into the other’s stomach, hands sliding around his waist.

“We’ll be together.” Karkat reaffirmed with a nod, one hand on the blonde’s shoulder while the other gently ran through his hair. He closed his eyes, listening to the faint thrum of the base beating in tune with his heart and the warmth that surrounded him. “We’ll be together.”


End file.
